July is Elder Abuse Awareness Month In Illinois
July has been declared Elder Abuse Awareness month in Illinois by Governor Rod Blagojevic. Illinois is leading the nation in calling on people to take care of our elderly and report any abuse found. Abuse of our elderly is more common that people think and takes many forms.
The Illinois Department of Aging indicates that it is possible that as many as 80,000 elderly are victims of abuse - whether it be physical, financial, or emotional. Some signs of abuse are untreated injuries or cuts and scratches, refusal to allow visitors by caregiver, physical deterioration, changes in behavior, and changes in finance, such as unauthorized bank withdrawals. All of these type things should trigger a call to Illinois' 24-Hour Elder Abuse Hotline at (866) 800-1409 or Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (815) 626-7333. Reports to these numbers are confidential. To read more on this matter, go to Illinois Deserves The Truth.
